9 congressional candidates face off in Plattsburgh

JOE LoTEMPLIO

Press-Republican

PLATTSBURGH — Nine candidates hoping to unseat incumbent Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 2018 election for the 21st District congressional seat traded views at an entertaining forum Monday at Clinton Community College.

The scene was reminiscent of the 2016 presidential campaign, when stages across the country were often filled with politicians competing to get the best answers in.

Of the nine candidates at the CCC event, seven were Democrats, one was Republican and one independent. Democrats are likely to hold a primary next June to determine who will be their candidate in the November election. Republican Russ Finley of Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, plans to challenge Stefanik in a Republican primary. Steve Krieg, who lives in Plattsburgh, says he is running as an independent.

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Oppose tanker storage

In the two-hour forum sponsored by North Country RESPECT and moderated by Pat Bradley of WAMC radio, candidates discussed a wide range of issues, including taxes, economic development and their favorite presidents.

Tedra Cobb of Canton in St. Lawrence County, Ronald Kim of Queensbury in Warren County, Katie Wilson of Keene in Essex County, Tanya Boone of Granville in Washington County, Don Boyajian of Cambridge in Saratoga County, Patrick Nelson of Stillwater in Saratoga County and Emily Martz of Saranac Lake in Franklin County are the Democrats who participated.

Krieg and Finley were also at the forum.

Stefanik, R-Willsboro, did not take part.

All of the candidates agreed that having a private railroad company housing empty oil tanker cars in the Adirondack Park is a bad idea and that whoever the congressional representative is should make it a priority to get the cars removed.

Kim suggested that a special tax on the railroad company would make its owners change their minds in a hurry.

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Winter Olympics

All candidates, except Wilson, said they would like to see the Lake Placid region consider hosting another Winter Olympic Games, whether it be solo or in conjunction with Montreal.

Wilson said hosting the games would be costly and noted that in the aftermath of the 1980 games in Lake Placid, the athletes village was turned into a prison.

“Not unless you want more prisons,” Wilson said of the games idea.

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Impeachment

Most candidates said Congress should seriously look into whether President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence should face impeachment, but Finley was not among them. He sternly objected to the question, saying it was not appropriate; several audience members groaned.